Chaos in the South: why Moldova prevents elections in Gagauzia
There is a new round of political crisis in Gagauzia. Local deputies agreed on the date of the elections to the Parliament of the autonomy and agreed on the budget. The Moldovan court, however, put these decisions on hold. Experts say that Chisinau is determined to completely deconstruct the Gagauz authorities. Read more about the situation in the Izvestia article.
What happened
On March 17, local deputies in Gagauzia gathered for an extraordinary meeting, at which they made a number of important decisions regarding the upcoming elections to the National Assembly (NSG, Parliament of autonomy). Firstly, the people's deputies managed to approve the budget of the electoral campaign. The cost of organizing and conducting the voting was estimated at 4.7 million lei ($270 thousand).
Secondly, the Central Election Commission was formed. This body was headed by Petr Zakharia, who had previously led the election commission. He stated that he would take up his duties immediately. There are no obstacles to the electoral process, and the Central Election Commission of the autonomy will act in strict accordance with regional and Moldovan legislation, he stressed.
Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Gagauzia Petr Zaharia
Thirdly, the deputies agreed on the date of the elections. After much discussion, it was decided to hold them on June 21. Separately, the parliamentarians adopted an appeal to the Moldovan authorities on the inadmissibility of revising the autonomous status of Gagauzia, which is enshrined in both the country's constitution and the law on the special status of the region. It is noted that attempts to undermine the existing balance threaten civil peace.
All these decisions caused a storm of indignation in Chisinau. The head of the office of the Moldovan State Chancellery, Sergei Chernev, promised the next day to challenge the actions of the parliamentarians in court. According to him, Comrat (the capital of the autonomous region) did not have the right to appoint CEC members, and there cannot be an election commission in the region either, because the legislation allegedly allows only the existence of an electoral council, not a commission.
As a result, on April 7, the Appeals Chamber of the South of Moldova, which is located in the city of Cahul, "suspended" the decision to hold elections. At the same time, Chernev promised that if the parliament of the autonomous region adopts another resolution on the voting topic, it will be canceled in the same way. He reiterated that in the country's legislation "there is no concept of the Central Election Commission of Gagauzia."
In response, the deputies of the National Assembly appealed the court's decision to the Supreme Judicial Chamber of Moldova. More than a dozen local public organizations have announced the convening of an extraordinary congress of representatives of the people of Gagauzia. "The essence of what is happening is obvious — to prevent the formation of a new composition of the National Assembly and thereby launch the process of eliminating autonomy," the organizing committee said in a statement.
The imprisoned head of Gagauzia (Bashkan) also spoke about the events. Evgenia Hutsul. She claims that Chisinau is trying to ensure that all regional elections are held under its control. "If we lose the right to vote independently, then the ruling party's henchmen who openly despise our people and work against them will be at the head of the autonomy," the politician noted.
What is important to know
Elections to the Gagauz parliament have already been canceled twice before. Before that, they tried to hold them on November 16 last year and March 22 this year. Each time the Moldovan courts opposed it, some procedural violations became the reason. For example, before the March vote, the judicial chamber dismissed several members of the Central Election Commission of the autonomy and challenged the name of the electoral body.
In general, through the efforts of Chisinau, a power vacuum has been created in Gagauzia. The head of the autonomy, Yevgenia Hutsul, has been behind bars since August last year. She was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of financing the banned Shor party. The politician denied all these accusations and appealed the decision. The Chisinau Court of Appeal is expected to deliver its final verdict on May 28.
The head of the Gagauz Autonomy within Moldova, Evgenia Gutsul, before the verdict in her case was announced at the Chisinau District Court. August 8, 2025
The legislative branch of government has also been beheaded. In December last year, Speaker of the National Assembly Dmitry Konstantinov was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony on charges of abuse of office and embezzlement of 46 million lei ($2.6 million). According to the prosecutor's office, in 2017-2020, he transferred money from the account of his commercial company to the account of a company headed by his acquaintance.
Before sentencing, Konstantinov resigned as speaker and left Moldova. Initially, it was assumed that he had moved to Russia in a roundabout way. In March, however, Moldovan police chief Viorel Cerneucanu reported that the politician was staying with a friend in Transnistria. "We know the exact address, but an attempt to detain him may lead to the detention of our employees," Cerneucanu complained.
Chairman of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia Dmitry Konstantinov during a briefing. May 27, 2024
Gradually, there is also an attack on the rights and powers of Gagauzia. In 2024, the Moldovan parliament adopted a law that allows local courts to be removed from the subordination of autonomy. In April last year, the country's Constitutional Court stripped Comrat of the authority to appoint its own prosecutor. Even earlier, Chisinau adopted a new Election Code, which now prevents voting in Gagauzia.
The Moldovan opposition says that the actions of the ruling party undermine the unity of the country. Former Prime Minister Ion Chicu noted that pressure on Gagauzia also hinders dialogue with Pridnestrovie, and it is extremely difficult to achieve the reintegration of the state with this approach. The Party of Socialists issued a statement saying that the authorities should refrain from politicizing the trials.
What the experts say
Seven elections to the National Assembly and eight elections of the Bashkan have been held in the Gagauz Autonomous Region since its formation, recalls Sergei Manastyrli, a political scientist and head of the Balkan Center for Analysis, Research and Forecasting. According to him, electoral campaigns have never been a problem before.
— In 2022, the ruling Moldovan PAS party introduced changes to the system in force since 1994. PAS has established a new body: the Central Electoral Council of Gagauzia, which is authorized to hold elections of the Bashkan and the National Assembly. The CIS is subordinate to the Moldovan Central Election Commission and must work in cooperation with the republican body. These changes violate the provisions of the Moldovan Constitution and the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia, as well as directly undermine the autonomy of the region, the expert emphasizes.
In this regard, a conflict arose, the Izvestia interlocutor believes. According to him, Chisinau is trying to hold the Gagauz elections under its control and prevent those whose loyalty it doubts from participating.
"The Gagauz people want to hold elections the way they have held them for all thirty years as part of Moldova," the political scientist clarifies.
Comrat wants to see Moldova as a neutral and non-aligned country with good relations with all its neighbors and major powers, including Russia, said Ivan Burguji, a Gagauz human rights activist and leader of the Gagauz Khalki People's Movement Council. In Chisinau, they rely on cooperation with the West.
— They have adopted regulations that contradict the constitution and the law on our special status. Now, under the pretext of these acts, they are trying to twist us and deprive us of our rights. In the end, they want to make our leaders people who will agree to the elimination of autonomy. We are not going to give up. We will hold gatherings of citizens, and an extraordinary congress of representatives of our people is next," the expert says.
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